The Madness of March

It’s the playoffs. March Madness. Diehard fans and people who never watch a game of basketball all year join together to fill out their brackets. It’s a tradition for many. Some do it the old fashioned way, get the local paper, copy the bracket, pass it out to their friends and sit down in front of the TV for a few weekends to enjoy the best college basketball of the season.

Yet for many, the face of March Madness is changing. Even the typical office pool has gone high tech, via the internet. Websites have been set up specifically for March Madness. Log in, enter your password, fill in your bracket, submit your entry and go live when the ball is tipped. Then you can sit back and review your competitors’ bracket and talk some smack on the blog. Awesome, baby!

Watching the game is changing too. Sure we all enjoy sitting down with the gang around the tube with some wings and nachos. Yet, that may not always be possible. Now you can subscribe to receive instant updates that take only a second to get real time scores on your computer or phone.

The internet can help you set up your bracket, too. Want to know your team’s latest stats, or the odds of them advancing? Research to your heart’s content. Speaking of heart, the internet still hasn’t figured that one out. Good thing, that’s what makes it fun. I’ve certainly heard more than one alumni say, “I have to pick my alma mater for at least one round. Otherwise, I’m a traitor.” Hey, it could work. Some people win by picking their favorite color uniforms or favorite mascots.

March Madness is still another example of how user generated activities can be passed over to the internet, continue to thrive and maintain that feeling of fun, tradition and heart. Game on.